Hotel Huis Van Bewaring — Hotel in Almelo

A catalogue of inhospitability, avarice, rudeness and ineptitude or lack of proper training summarises this horrible hotel. |Arriving after ten o’clock in the evening, I found the door of the hotel closed and rang the front doorbell several times to no effect. Only after walking through the freezing rain to the back of the hotel and knocking on the windows, did I manage to raise somebody’s attention to let me in. The staff explained to me that they had shut down the front door bell, but yes, they were expecting me(?!). However, arriving “so late”, I was required to pay 50 euros to the night porter, which I flatly refused to do. I paid for my room and breakfast and climbed the stairs to the fourth floor. My room was tiny and stone cold: all three windows were wide open at 3 degrees Celsius, the heating off. No luggage rack, not even a hook in the wall for my dripping coat and umbrella, no desk, no toiletries, no light in the pitiful shower. No amenities whatsoever but for a tiny hairdryer and a tiny clothes cupboard that couldn’t fit a long coat. The windows were too high to afford the least view. |The next morning, being the only person in the breakfast room, I had to go through several plates, glasses and cutlery to find myself clean ones without grease or melted cheese clinging to them. A staff member eventually approached me and demanded to know what my room number was, she couldn’t even be bothered to say good morning! While checking out, I complained about the above and the same staff member offered to pay me a refund of an unspecified amount. I thought in fairness to wait with writing my review until after this was paid, this offer being the only positive experience worth mentioning; but after four days I haven’t received a penny yet even though we have the same bank and payments go through almost instantaneously. |To conclude: a horrible hotel with zero stars. I was informed by the staff that the proprietor doesn’t want to pay for the star system -...

My stay was short (2.5 days) and basically I was in the hotel only to sleep and have breakfast but still, it was a pleasant experience.

Besides the fact that the building was a real prison in the past, the hotel itself is not as themed as I imagined, which is not a bad thing (who would want to spend a night inside an actual jail!?). There are decorative prison doors (in front of the actual doors) in each room and the exterior is well maintained (although it really has the looks of a vintage prison). Other than that, rooms, lobbies and corridors are quite similar to what it is in modern hotels.

The breakfast is modest but competent. It has a adequate variety of breads and sliced hams/cheeses. In fact, there was one of the hams (I guess it was a ham) which tasted extremely good but I couldn't find it anywhere in my home city (it looked like sliced turkey breast/ham but it was darker with little spots on it), I think it was dutch loaf.

The room itself fulfilled my needs. It had a comfortable double bed, double sinks, a table and a TV (which I didn't have enough time to use, but it looked like it had a good variety of channels). The weather at the time I went to Almelo suggested the nights would be mildly cold, but I couldn't feel anything. It was comfy and warm inside, even with the heating turned off. I've read some people complaining about the bathroom area, which in my case was small too but since I'm don't care that much about shower area (and my stay was short) it was ok for me.

The staff was cordial and answered whenever I needed. The internet was fast and the authentication was easier than it is in other hotels. That said, I...

We booked a Cipier Suite. The rooms were large but quite shabby. The TV did not work, and the curtains in the bedroom were hanging off, and the bathroom door would not close or lock. The room was also not very clean which is disappointing in these times.||||We complained and were told they knew about the curtains but a new rail had not yet been delivered. The following day the room was cleaned and the TV fixed, and we received a refund if the first day room cost. This is nice but not really the point. We just wanted a nice room to stay in and enjoy a couple of days away.||||Breakfast however was great. Simple but nice quality and plenty of it. We also peaked in a couple of the smaller cell block rooms and they seemed in better condition. Perhaps the suite still needs to be updated.||||Overall a slightly disappointing experience. The hotel has great potential, and is in a perfect location for a trip to the beautiful Sallandse Heuvelweg and for the many restaurants and...